


Under The Meowseltoe

by mashmash



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Also Thighs, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Cats, Christmas Fluff, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Shrimp Is The Best, and cookies, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 07:20:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17219453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mashmash/pseuds/mashmash
Summary: In which gingerbread cookies and a fat cat save Christmas. Or at least, get two people laid. Same thing.





	Under The Meowseltoe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Changkyunnnie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Changkyunnnie/gifts).



> HELLO HELLO HELLO, MERRY CHRISTMIZZLE YALL
> 
>  
> 
> this is for my dear moot and fren Lica, hey, hope u read the notes, ily and im sorry it took so long. hope ure satisfied. though, ure just satisfied by hyunghyuk only existing. oh well.
> 
>  
> 
> this fic took me out of my writer's block and im grateful to the ppl that actually helped me with finding prompts. shout out to wennie and mari for making me wanna write this. thanks hoes xx
> 
>  
> 
> enjoy!!!
> 
>  
> 
> <3

 

 

 

The dark cloud coming out of the oven when Minhyuk ventures to pull it open, just a crack for him to check on the gingerbread cookies he has been trying to make for the last two hours, is enough to make his tiny kitchen seem like the aftermath of a volcano.

 

“Shit, fuck.”

 

The kitchen mittens Kihyun bought him for his birthday (not for him, for his future significant other’s sex life sake, fingers are important, he said) can barely stand the heat coming from the tray and Minhyuk just throws it on the counter, the charcoal like specimens on the baking paper not even budging. Isn’t baking paper made to prevent that?

 

He sighs as he tries to fan the smoke out of his face with his mitten clad hand, failing and ending up coughing as he tries to come closer to the tray.

 

“Uh.”

 

Cookies are supposed to be brown, he thinks. Beige, maybe. Even colorful, if you’re feeling frisky. But black? He touches one, and it breaks in little pieces, a tiny grey cloud like the one in his kitchen flying out of the crumbs. He pokes two, three, until his braincell gets that yeah, this didn’t really work, did it?

 

“I will kill Kihyun. What kind of recipe was that?”

 

He sighs for the third time, standing defeated over the tray of doom and gets his phone out of his “The Kitchen Bitch” apron, scrolling through the entire recipe and Kihyun’s texts, mentally ticking every step he followed and every one he inevitably didn’t. Was it his fault that he had one egg instead of three? It’s three am, he couldn’t find any. And what? Gingerbread cookies _don’t_ have ginger? Minhyuk thought Kihyun was joking when he told him no after sending every “laughing my ass out” gif his keyboard could provide him with.

 

As the smoke starts dissipating he can see his creation clearly, coal like crumbs of cookies scattered around a semi burnt baking paper, some oddly intact and some others completely destroyed. He calls Kihyun, hoping to find some answers. He did not sign up for tectonic like disasters on Christmas Eve. He is greeted by a loud groan and a yawn.

 

“Ye-”

 

“Ginger. Did they need ginger? I can’t believe they didn’t.”

 

“Oh, it’s you.”

 

“Are you sleeping?”

 

“I was trying to. It’s...what the fuck, Minhyuk. It’s, like, four am.”

 

“The best time to bake.”

 

“And an even better time to shut the fuck up and sleep. Look, I’m hangin-”

 

“Ginger, Kihyun. Ginger.”

 

“What?”

 

“Gingerbread cookies. I tried to make them.”

 

“Yeah, and? Told you they aren’t supposed to have ginger in them. I gave you the easiest recipe I could find.”

 

“Well, it was flawed.”

 

“Minhyuk, you-”

 

“I tried to follow every step…”

 

“You-”

 

“...and put all my love and affection and skills into…”

 

“Min-”

 

“...making them and they just betrayed me. You betrayed me. Ginger betrayed me.”

 

There’s too much ruffling and breathing on the other line, but Minhyuk is used to Kihyun’s antics. He sighs too much for his own good. He should be less stressed. Get some more sleep. Rest. Minhyuk is always telling him that.

 

“You. Put ginger in. How much.”

 

“Well, it didn’t say how much I _should_ put in, so I just zested the whole thing in.”

 

And now he groans. His friend, should like, chill.

 

“Kihyun?”

 

“Minhyuk I’m going to hang up and you can do nothing about it.”

 

“What am I supposed to do with these cookies now, Ki? Help me! It’s your fault!”

 

“Eat them and die from the inside.”

 

“That’s why you never get nice presents. Santa is ignoring you for being a dick.”

 

“Just...I don’t know, are they, like, charred? Tasteless?”

 

“I don’t know, I’m scared to put them anywhere near my mouth. They look like arson victims.”

 

“Throw them away. You just murdered Christmas. Goodnight. Don’t call. Ever.”

 

“Merry Christmas to you too, Kihyunnie! l love y-”

 

And now, it’s just him and his sad, _sad_ batch of cookies. Maybe his friend is right. Maybe he indeed murdered Christmas. And he doesn’t even deserve it. He was being good all year, smiling at strangers and leaving tips to waiters and all. Only if they were hot, but a good act is a good act nonetheless. He _really_ doesn’t deserve this. Mean people do, irritating people who have been bugging him all year may as well choke on these charcoal cookies.

 

There’s only one person that has been irritating him all year long. He nods to himself, unpleasant memories coming in his mind as he leans against the kitchen counter, idly trying to taste his only safe looking cookies. He flinches from the bitter taste as he remembers the day when his whole balcony was filled with ants because his neighbor decided to leave his trash out for weeks, or the day that he literally had to stop making out with the hottest date he could possibly find just because the guy kept persistently knocking on his door, his laundry in hand since they somehow got mixed up.

 

He ends up spitting the cookie on a napkin and chucking it into the bin, not wanting to actually follow Kihyun’s suggestion and die from the inside because of gingerbread caused cancer. This could really ruin his Christmas. Or anyone else’s.

 

His face lights up with an idea. That’s it. If these cookies can really ruin someone’s Christmas, he may as well use them for what they were made to be used for. Well, for what they ended up to be used for, at least. He searches in all his cupboards and finds some cling film and some tin foil, packing the remaining cookies neatly, adding a red ribbon, just because. It’s a Christmas present after all. He’s not an animal.

 

Minhyuk’s smirk is plastered on his face like he was born with it all through the act, even when he’s out of his neighbor’s door, ready to leave the package and run. His finger trembles a bit over the lit “Chae Hyungwon” sign on the doorbell and he giggles to himself as he presses it, once and briefly, before he turns around and skips towards his apartment like a stealthy ninja. He didn’t leave a bomb or anything but it feels like he did, watching through his peephole on his toes, amused, as if he’s waiting for it to explode in Hyungwon’s face, securing the peace of his future make out sessions and the absence of all kinds of bugs anywhere near him.

 

The devil is apparently home and freshly awake because seconds later he opens the door, suspiciously staring left and right for a visitor, sleeping mask on his head and puffy cheeks in all their glory; but finding no one. Who the hell opens their door in the middle of the night without even checking? Minhyuk is about to whisper yell at him about the cookies when he’s going to close the door without seeing them but Hyungwon’s cat is apparently more clever than the owner, because Minhyuk can see it running out of the apartment and settling next to the package, clawing on it curiously with its paws, meowing in interest.

 

“Thanks, Shrimp,” Hyungwon mutters and pets the cat with his socked foot, crouching to get the present in his hands, unfolding the small note before he gets to go in the apartment.

 

_Merry Crisis, Christmas, Chrysler, or any other wish u possibly prefer. I baked too many, and thought of giving u some. Hope they make u happy : > _

  * _From your only floor neighbor, Minhyuk_



 

Minhyuk is so immersed in praising himself for his absolutely mischievous and intelligent plan in his head that he misses the small smile appearing on Hyungwon’s face, as he closes the door carefully, pushing Shrimp back inside his apartment. Minhyuk stays until he can’t see the man anymore and turns his back at the door, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

 

“Revenge feels better than any gingerless cookies,” he mumbles to himself, before he goes to sleep, the satisfied smirk still there and his kitchen still a mess.

  


He wakes up at noon, as if Christmas would change his fucked up sleeping patterns. He shifts in bed, face on the pillow, hand reaching for his phone. Strange. Was it always this furry? He doesn’t even have a phone case yet. He opens his eyes and well, his phone isn’t actually the furry thing he is touching. The tail of a cat is. His screech must be audible from every apartment in his building because moments later he can hear his doorbell ringing, the ginger furred cat running towards the source of the sound, scratching on the wooden surface of the door until Minhyuk sleepily stands up, his ex’s hoodie riding up his sides as he stretches the drowsiness away, the shock taking its place.

 

“What the actual fuck.”

 

He just stares down at the fat, fluffy cat as he’s rubbing his eyes, the orange ball looking up at him with yellowish green eyes, meowing innocently, his favorite ornament from his christmas tree in its mouth. The pieces connect in his mind. He knows this cat. And he knows the owner even better. He doesn’t stop to consider that he isn’t wearing any pants before he furiously opens the door.

 

“Uh, good morning, is it morning now? Should I be saying this? Anyways, oh, Shrimp! Here you were, you fat ball. I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Sorry for that, she just…”

 

Hyungwon’s eyes finally fall on Minhyuk and he forgets what he’s about to say because, well, people aren’t supposed to greet their neighbors semi naked.

 

“She just climbed on my bed, stepped on my pillows, stole my decorations and woke me up at the asscrack of dawn.”

 

“It’s three pm. It’s afternoon. And...sorry for that. She jumped in when I was in the bathroom or something. Your kitchen window is open. You should probably close it.”

 

“You should probably keep your cat in your apartment.”

 

“Hey, I apologized for that. Here,” he crouches and gets the small nutcracker in his hands, wet from Shrimp’s saliva, and he hands it to Minhyuk, “your soldier.”

 

“It’s a nutcracker. How could you not tell that it’s a nutcracker?”

  
“I don’t like Christmas. I don’t care about nutcrackers or walnuts or whatever.”

 

Minhyuk knew he couldn’t trust this guy, but now he went and did it. Nobody in his right mind hates Christmas.

 

“Listen here-”

 

“Look, I’m sorry for Shrimp, she won’t do it again. I’m sorry for the decoration thing as well. Won’t happen again either,” he flashes a small, kinda forced smile, “and thanks for the cookies. I appreciated them, was hungry in the morning. They were...great. A bit heavy on ginger.”

 

The forced smile becomes bigger with that sentence, as Hyungwon takes Shrimp in his arms, the cat rubbing her small face on the man’s neck, purring. That makes his smile sincere.

 

“Merry Crisis. That’s my favorite wish. Good afternoon, Minhyuk.”

 

And with that, he’s back in his apartment, leaving Minhyuk before he could finish the endless scolding about Christmas he had on the tip of his tongue, with a fleeting glance on his thighs.  

 

“Merry...Christmizzle,” he mutters to himself, holding the wet nutcracker, the same braincells that thought of his malicious plan stunned, because, did he just thank him for the cookies? He walks back in bed and stares at the decoration piece in his hand. He remembers the small smile on Hyungwon’s face when his cat was in his arms, his discreet eyes on him before he locked himself back in his apartment, the relieved sigh and face Hyungwon made when he found Shrimp. Before he knows it, he smiles as well.

 

“A bit heavy on ginger, huh…”

 

He lets the nutcracker fall on the mattress and jumps up, wears a pair of jeans he finds on the floor next to him and takes his wallet and keys, walking to the closest convenience store. He returns with two bags, and he gets to work. There’s no ginger in his cookies this time, and his note reads only one wish.

  


“Hey, uh…”

 

“Again. For, like, what? The third time?”

 

Hyungwon scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, a small smile on his lips, his eyes on the ball of guilty fur on Minhyuk’s doormat. Shrimp is on her back, a red, shiny decorative ball between her paws, slipping out of her grip everytime she attempts to fiddle with it more playfully.

 

“I don’t know how she does it. I was literally eating my ramen in my living room. She was scratching my couch, and when I turned to tell her to stop, she just…”

 

“She just materialized on my Christmas tree.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Minhyuk can’t do anything else than laugh, just a breathy, borderline exasperated chuckle as he leans against his doorframe, his bare foot kicking the ball around for Shrimp to play. When she scratches him, he feels betrayed. And in pain. Cats are the devil in disguise. But he can’t be mad at her to save his life.

 

“I think she likes you,” Hyungwon says with his smile still on. Does this smile ever leave? Minhyuk doesn’t really want to know. He doesn’t mind it that way. He wouldn’t admit that he even likes it, though.

 

“Look. I’m bleeding,” he tries to raise his foot up, but his limb betrays him, “is this how she shows love?”

 

“Actually, yeah.”

 

“She’s always purring and rubbing herself on you, though.”

 

“That’s because I’m the one who feeds her. I have my fine selection of scratches though. Here, look.” The quite distinctive scar on Hyungwon’s hipbone isn’t the thing Minhyuk glues his eyes on when the man raises his shirt, running his finger over the crusty, healing skin. It’s short lived though, because the shirt is back on seconds later and Minhyuk tries hard to ignore whatever pools into his chest in the form of disappointment.

 

“Do you always flash your battle wounds at random people?”

 

Hyungwon scoffs quietly, his eyes looking straight at Minhyuk’s, cocky.

 

“You’re not really the one to talk about flashing. Do you even own pants?”

 

Minhyuk has made it kind of a habit to open the door semi naked every time he makes sure Hyungwon is the one who is knocking. Maybe it’s the time, or maybe it’s that he feels more comfortable sitting around like this. Or, maybe, he wants Hyungwon’s glance to return, his eyes on him like the first time he saw him like this. But he wouldn’t admit that either.

 

“It’s better that way. Sweats get in the way.”

 

“For what?”

 

‘For...living?”

 

Hyungwon’s small chuckle makes Minhyuk want to punch him for mocking him, but also make it last longer. It’s not that much of a dilemma, Hyungwon’s laughter going straight into the things he doesn’t mind at all about him. He blames it on his people pleasing nature, the fact that he wants to make Hyungwon laugh more and more, because or at him. He doesn’t care, as long as he hears it. Another addition to the “things he won’t admit” list.

 

“Sounds pretty exhibitionistic to me.”

 

“You don’t wanna go there, it’s a dark place. Dark and dungeon-y.”

 

“Not in front of Shrimp,” now he’s the one kicking the ball around, Shrimp munching fervently on his toes whenever she manages to catch them, “she’s too pure for this.”

 

“She seems too evil to me. She has fooled you, you beautiful fool.”

 

Hyungwon feigns being shocked, gasping dramatically and Minhyuk gasps internally for letting this word slip his mouth. Hopes the insult is stronger than the compliment. Hopes Hyungwon is truly offended that he called his furry cat ball a spawn of Satan.

 

“Shrimp, he didn’t mean it. And if he did, you are free to steal whatever you find in his place.”

 

“I don’t think she needs your permission for that.”

 

Minhyuk’s legs are starting to hurt for standing at the same place for all this time, and the scratch on his foot has stopped bleeding already. How long have they been talking like this?

 

“Say-”

 

“I think I should get going. I have something in the oven, actually, and I _really_ need to check on that. Don’t want it to end up like…” They both know what he means, and Minhyuk is nodding in acknowledgement, letting it slide. His oven still reeks, even though he even bought a special cleaning product for it. Too much money for nothing. He blames Kihyun for that as well.

 

“Yeah, we’ve been standing here for like half an hour and I am actually freezing.”

 

“Some pants would help, you know.”

 

“Oh, shut up.”

 

His laughter matches well with Hyungwon’s, highs and lows mingling perfectly, and that’s something he didn’t need to notice. But he did anyways, and the list of the things he should not admit should stop growing longer and longer. It should stop now. The guy’s supposed to be annoying.

 

Hyungwon unlocks his door and Shrimp runs inside, rolling the now full of tiny scratches ball inside the house, not giving a flying heck if Minhyuk’s Christmas tree is now almost bare. At least it lasted through Christmas. He hopes he can make it right till New Year’s. He can’t start anew looking all ragged and non-christmas-y. The Christmas spirit inside him doesn’t allow it.

 

They wave goodbye and get in, that thing dangerously resembling disappointment pooling inside Minhyuk once again. He feels lonely, and on such days, he shouldn’t. He calls Kihyun to complain but ends up inviting him over, the guy bringing food and every video game he owns, and Minhyuk feels blessed. That’s how he should feel during holidays, and he’s grateful, even when Kihyun is swearing at him because he cheated when he wasn’t looking.

 

He feels more grateful when he first mentions Hyungwon and Kihyun listens, how he gave him the cancer cookies and he actually ate them, how he has this cat that is of satanic descendance and probably wants him dead, how he always looks sleepy even when he claims that he’s fully rested, his puffy cheeks and messy hair making him look younger. He mentions every piece of decoration that has been stolen by the tiny paw thief, and all the conversations he had with Hyungwon, the small and the longer ones, the not-so-accidental lack of pants every time he sees him, calves and thighs now smoother than before because maybe Hyungwon will keep his eyes longer on him then.

 

And Kihyun doesn’t take his eyes off Minhyuk, unmoving and quiet, letting him talk and talk until he has nothing to say. He knows that this won’t happen, that his friend has always something to babble about, something nice, something small, something to justify his actions because he’s not as shameless as he seems.

 

“But you don’t like him. He’s annoying, right?” Kihyun’s voice shows his disbelief and Minhyuk doesn’t fail to discern it, but if he points it out he’ll lose his focus from the game. He can’t let Kihyun win. Not even once. Feeding this guy’s ego is like putting your hand willingly into a huge venus trap. You’ll just lose your shit in an instant.

 

“Yeah. Annoying. He is just messing with me and I don’t know why. He probably doesn’t know either. Only his demon cat knows.”

 

“I feel like this cat is the only clever one among y’all.”

 

“No. She’s dumb. She doesn’t listen. She keeps doing the same thing again and again, because she’s so damn cute and she knows we won’t scold her.”

 

“Trust me on that, this cat knows what she’s doing. It’s probably...your Christmas gift. This cat’s shenanigans. I have this feeling...that she will make it all right.”

 

“This cat has nothing to do with Jesus.”

 

“What you want Hyungwon to do to you has nothing to do with Jesus’s teachings either.”

 

If someone is an expert in making Lee Minhyuk lose his shit, it’s no venus trap. It’s Yoo Kihyun.

  


Two days before New Years, it’s not Hyungwon who knocks.

 

“M-Minhyuk? What-”

 

“How?”

 

Hyungwon’s surprised expression tells Minhyuk that he doesn’t have the tiniest idea about what he’s talking about. It is cute though, and that’s annoying. Minhyuk just barges in the apartment with stomping feet, still in his underwear; people don’t change. Hyungwon’s wondering deepens.

 

“How did you manage to do this? That’s insane!”

 

“Minhyuk what are you even talking about?”

 

“I was in my home, right? And,” he plops on the bean chair without looking like he owns the place, Shrimp managing to jump on the couch before she gets crushed by his bony ass, “I suddenly have this craving, and I can never say no to cravings. I mean, mango rolls? Come on, how do you say no to that?”

 

“Get to the point.”

 

“Sh. This is important. So, I get dressed, wearing _pants_ of course-”

 

A gasp cuts him off. “Unbelievable.”

 

“I’m not flashing to convenience store employees, Hyungwon. These thighs are for the privileged. So, I’m getting out of my door and then, guess what I step on.”

 

“Your doormat? Unpaid bills? Your ego?”

 

“Wrong, wrong and dick-ish. But wrong. Try harder.”

 

Hyungwon falls on his couch with a sigh, Shrimp climbing on his lap just to wrap her long tail around her frame and become a furry pretzel, meowing until Hyungwon is forced to pet her to sleep.

 

“How am I supposed to know, Minh- oh.”

 

His hand on Shrimp stops as he becomes aware of what Minhyuk is talking about only to start again when the cat rubs her head on his fingers. The corners of his mouth tug into a guilty smile.

 

“Exactly. I stepped on your fucking cookies, Hyungwon. But that’s not the thing.”

 

“It’s not?”

 

“It’s not.” He turns on the bean chair, facing Hyungwon, his fingers reaching to play with the now swerving Shrimp tail. “The thing is that, after taking the unfortunate crumbs in my kitchen and trying to salvage some small bits to eat since you half-assedly tried to give them to me-”

 

“You’re rude.”

 

“And you’re dumb. Such a long boi and you don’t have space for a brain.”

 

“I don’t think that Santa of yours will appreciate these naughty comments.”

 

“Please, this wasn’t even _close_ to naughty. Wanna hear some naught-”

 

“No. Please continue with that damn story.”

 

“Your loss.” It’s not the first time he keeps naughty comments about Hyungwon for himself. That, at least, he can admit. Having thoughts about your hot neighbor isn’t that weird. Is it?

 

“And? Did you like them?”

 

Silence. Minhyuk’s eyes are expressionless when he looks straight at Hyungwon and he can’t help but avert his. He almost springs out of his seat when Minhyuk jumps up, seeming almost exasperated.

 

“How the hell did you manage to make them worse than mine?”

 

It’s his turn to be silent.

 

“Hyungwon, this is a talent. Making cookies worse than mine, than these cancerous charcoal crumbs, is a talent.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Minhyuk’s eyes emit flames when he jumps on the couch, sitting on his heels, hands flying in the air.

 

“Show me. How you made them. I wanna know. I fucking threw a whole ass ginger root in there, you can’t just come and overpower me like this.”

 

Hyungwon has seen weird things. He’s seen those crazy stuff on tv, where people eat couch stuffing for breakfast, and his dad talks to his bath sponge about football every now and then. But Minhyuk, he is the weirdest person he has ever met. He lets out a scoff like chuckle, his eyes smiling along with his lips, and Minhyuk swears he hasn’t felt like he wants to tattoo something on his retinae more in his life.

 

“Minhyukkie, you’re weird. So weird.”

 

“No. You’re the weird one. So weird.”

 

Hyungwon’s cheeks were always puffy. Hyungwon’s features were always cute. Too cute for comfort. Minhyuk’s drawn to cute things and that’s what he tells himself when he cups Hyungwon’s cheeks, his face close to his, the man’s lips pursing and his whole face contorting into a wrinkly mess. Shrimp is jealous because she pats Hyungwon’s nose with her paw as well, and Minhyuk smiles brightly. It lasts a bit too long, both staring at each other without doing anything else, blushing cheeks and eyesmiles, and Minhyuk can feel the “things he’s not admitting” list growing smaller and smaller by the second.

 

Until Shrimp decides that her owner should probably be only hers. So, Lee Minhyuk should pay.

 

“Ouch! Shrimp! I know you hate me, you demonic fattie, but ouch!”

 

“Maybe she does that because you call her fat.”

 

“You do it all the time.”

 

“I’m the one who feeds her.”

 

“You feed me cookies as well but if you call me fat I will scratch you to death.”

 

“Oh. Thought your attack of choice would be flashing me to death.”

 

He hates Hyungwon’s duality. He absolutely _can’t_ go from a flushed, squishy mess to a confident, sarcastic and eligible bachelor. It messes with his decisive brain. He _should_ be annoying. Now, he’s just hot. He makes Minhyuk’s heart tingle, just a tiny tad. It tingles now as well, even when he’s making fun of him shamelessly like that.

 

“If you don’t show me how you made those deathly biscuits, I may as well do that.”

 

And he does, finding the first recipe he used from a questionable cooking site for affordable dishes, he fails to measure almost everything, the shells from some eggs successfully getting mingled in the mixture. He puts some ginger in as well because gingerbread without ginger just sounds stupid to almost everyone except for Yoo Kihyun. He mixes everything by hand, with his actual hand, his whisk somewhere under the tower of dishes in the sink. He never finds it, and the stack becomes taller.

 

Until the cookies are in the oven, Minhyuk is sitting on the flour stained counter, not afraid if it goes on his pants since, well, he’s not wearing any, laughing at Hyungwon about literally anything he does. And when the cookies are out of the oven, looking all charred and probably awful tasting, Minhyuk has an idea.

 

“Wanna spend New Years together?”

 

If Hyungwon is flustered, he isn’t showing it.

 

“A-aren’t you doing anything? Friends? Family?” His voice tries to give him away, but he manages to cover it by scraping cookies off the baking paper lacking tray. He didn’t even butter it. Maybe it’s for the best, it gives him something to focus on and not scream at Minhyuk in gay panic. Even if he will have to stay over the sink for hours just to wash the stains away.

 

“Nah. My family doesn’t really do anything and Kihyun’s out of town with his boyfriend. Hoseok-hyung is taking him to Paris. Somehow.”

 

“Paris? How come you didn’t sneak in Kihyun’s luggage?”

 

“He would know. He probably checked his stuff two hundred times before leaving. He’s _that_ neat freak.”

 

“Huh. Pity.”

 

“So?”

 

“So what?”

 

“Do you have anything to do?”

 

He can say he does, right? Minhyuk doesn’t know anything about him. Whether he has friends, relatives, parents to spend the day with. Heck, he doesn’t know anything about Minhyuk either. Why is he asking him that, then? Aren’t people supposed to spend the holidays with loved ones? Come to think of it, Minhyuk stayed home in Christmas as well. Blasted Christmas music and sang along, Hyungwon could hear him all evening, soundproof walls not something he checked the apartment for before he moved in. He may have sang along as well. Christmas spirit is contagious, he figured that much out.

 

Hyungwon doesn’t like Christmas, he never wished for anything from Santa, even when he was a little boy. He never wanted to spend it with anyone, cancelling all plans and denying all invitations. But maybe now, it’s time for him to start wishing. It’s never late, Christmas is for everyone, they say, he didn’t believe them. But maybe, they weren’t lying that much.

 

He starts by wishing for a good time. For once. So he shakes his head. And Minhyuk lights up, flashing a smile that probably hurts his jaw. He wishes for that to stay on his face more next.

 

“Great! Yours or mine? At eleven.”

 

“Yours. Only if I can bring Shrimp with me. I’m not leaving her alone.”

 

“I think she likes my house more than yours anyways.”

 

“That’s a lie.”

 

Minhyuk shrugs and jumps off the counter, dusting the flour off his boxers. Hyungwon makes an effort not to stare at his ass and he ridiculously fails. It’s not his fault the guy walks around like that, anyways.

 

“Change my mind, then. If she doesn’t steal anything again, I’ll believe you,” he grabs some already scraped crumbs from the tray and cautiously tries some, cringing, nose scrunching in disgust, “and these? Still bad. Well done, champ. The “Most Cancerous Baker” title is yours now. Well done.”

 

Minhyuk leaves with a pat on Hyungwon’s shoulder and with a loud “bye, fattie” at Shrimp, door closing behind him. Hyungwon stays there, looking at his deadly crumbs until Shrimp jumps on the counter, hissing aggressively at them. He scoffs and smiles, going to throw them in the trash along with the stained for decades tray, but stopping when the first cookie lands in the can. He looks at them, Shrimp scratching on the trashcan, and puts them back on the counter.

 

Shrimp can’t reach them anymore when they are wrapped inside some foil, right next to Minhyuk’s in the cabinet, with a note reading “Most Cancerous Baker” stuck on it.

  


“Shut up, Shrimp, I can’t.”

 

The clock ticking suddenly is the most deafening sound that has ever reached Hyungwon’s ears and he starts regretting his trip to Ikea that one day. He nearly takes off its batteries, turns it around so he can’t see that it’s actually way past eleven, but Shrimp scratches his wrist, climbing on the shelf to reach and stop him. He wraps his fingers around it, rubbing the reddening wound and glaring at the ginger cat ball.

 

“Hey, what’s wrong with you today? Stop being like that. I told you I’m not going. Listen to your owner for once.”

 

Shrimp meows at him, it ends with a hiss and Hyungwon is either crazy or she’s actually trying to say something he doesn’t get. Cats are weird.

 

“Why do you hate me? You’re supposed to hate _him._ ” The hissing grows louder.

 

“You actually don’t? And why are you annoying him all the time? You’re weird, fattie.”

 

If he’s used to Shrimp’s soft bites up until now, he’s not used to her “wanting to eat his entire hand for dinner” ones. His hand is a victim for the second time in a minute and it actually bleeds this time, small drops running on his skin. He tries to wipe them away with his fingers, smearing them all over his wrist, sighs when more come out. He looks up, murderous gaze towards the little assaulter, but she’s...nowhere to be found.

  


“He’s not coming, huh…”

 

Minhyuk has browsed through the delivery menu many times already, so many that he has already gotten fed of pork chow mein without even trying it first. He throws it on the other end of the couch and just jumps on his heels, looking around. Everything was set, he brought all the blankets he owns, threw them on the floor along with some pillows, making it all comfy. Heck, he even bought champagne, not anything overly expensive, but for a non-drinker, that was grand. His tv is the only light source in the room, changing the color of the walls every other second and even though it’s something that happens without anyone really noticing, today it’s almost epileptic. He turns it off, chucking the remote somewhere along with the pamphlet, walking his way out of his living room in complete darkness, everything in this apartment memorised anyways.

 

Or so he thought. Lately he finds many furry things on his way, that are not in the imaginary apartment map he has scratched on his mental notes. Or, to put it accurately, just _one_ furry thing. A fat one. That meows.

 

“Again, fattie? It’s not a good day today, you know.”

 

He crouches in front of where he thinks she is, glistening eyes looking up, their green almost visible even in pitch darkness. She rubs her face on his fingers, purring, making him laugh, the sound almost out of place in the quiet apartment.

 

“At least you showed up,” he looks up at his fluorescent clock, the hand just two minutes before it strikes midnight, “almost in time. You’re really a clever cat, aren’t you? And fat.”

 

This earns him an expected bite, the pain kind of familiar after all the scratches she has given him these days. She starts strolling towards his tree, knowing exactly where it is, pawing on the branches and finally mouthing on another decoration piece. Minhyuk doesn’t move, just stays there, watching her fiddling with his possessions, used to it already. She can have as many as she wants; it’s not like anyone will come over and see them. It’s not like _Hyungwon_ will come over and see him.

 

But Shrimp isn’t leaving out of the window like she always does. He feels her fluffy fur against his skin, the cat walking through the opening of his legs and wrapping her long tail around his calf, the ornament edges grazing on his skin softly as she moves. She runs towards the door and starts scratching, meowing, staring at him, trying to make him pay attention. It works because seconds later he’s at the door, carefully opening it for her, taking a deep breath and bracing himself to meet Hyungwon and let her back in her house.

 

“Come on, you little devil, you took what you wanted, shoo now. I can’t spend New Years with y-”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“So here she was, huh?”

 

“Where else?”

 

The hall light blinds him and he squints just a bit, rubbing his eyes until he can see Hyungwon clearly. He looks tired, but when his eyes land on Minhyuk’s, they get filled with an emotion Minhyuk can’t really pinpoint. It doesn’t matter, though. He won’t have to.

 

“I guess she was feeling festive,” Hyungwon crouches and retrieves the piece from Shrimp’s mouth, the cat staring deep in his eyes, emerald meeting hazel, and for the first time, he kind of gets it. She walks in the apartment tiredly as he stands up, checking the ornament out.

 

“What did she steal this time? Santa? I had one. Hoped he would be in my apartment, it’s his time to come in, like, one minute. Guess he was kidnapped.”

 

“No, it’s..”

 

They both look in Hyungwon’s hand, Minhyuk scoffing lightly at the sight.

 

“A mistletoe, huh? Your cat’s a sap.”

 

Hyungwon’s thumb runs over the sharp leaves, and his eyes go back on Minhyuk’s, the man’s face growing rosier by the second.

 

“Look, Hyungwon, I...I have to go inside. Gotta open my champagne. I bought it anyways, they had it cheap. I don’t drink, you know? Well, you don’t, but now you do. I don’t drink, but I bought it anyways, it’s New Year’s, you know? Of course you do, and you probably have plans you didn’t tell me about. What plans are these, you’re in your pajamas, these must not be fancy plans. Plans are good, though. R-”

 

“Minhyuk.”

 

“Y-yes?”

 

Hyungwon’s eyes fall on the clock on Minhyuk’s wall, the hand one minute after midnight. He smiles, dropping the mistletoe on the ground.

 

“Happy New Year.”

 

And Minhyuk likes wishes, he always wishes for something when he has the chance and he always wishes to other people as well. Whether it’s someone’s birthday or a dumb anniversary nobody cares about, Minhyuk wishes to everyone. But this time he doesn’t, because his lips are on Hyungwon’s, soft and wet against his own chapped ones, his socked feet stepping just a tad on Minhyuk’s bare toes. His eyes are open until they slowly close, the shock leaving and warmth replacing it, moving his arms and wrapping them around Hyungwon’s neck, the man already embracing him tightly.

 

It’s hot and cold simultaneously, cold fingers creeping under his oversized hoodie and burning lips on equally scorching ones, the cold ground under him and the warm carpet when they backstep inside the apartment, Hyungwon pushing him against the door, shutting it close. They never leave each other more than mere seconds, drinking each other up like the sparkling champagne they never got to taste and if alcohol burned his whole body like Hyungwon does, he swears he would never let it go.

 

He wraps his legs around him, the man’s hands sliding on his smooth thighs that he never got to cover, finally appreciating them, digging his fingers under the holes of Minhyuk’s boxers something he wanted to do since the first time he opened the door and he saw him standing like that, semi naked, the touch deprived skin on display.

 

“You’re not wearing anything again,” Hyungwon says when he gets the chance, peppering openmouthed kisses from Minhyuk’s lips on his chin and across his jawline, sucking on his skin, his hands squeezing his ass, holding him up.

 

“They get in the way.”

 

“Then-”

 

“E-everything gets in the way.”

 

Hyungwon smirks and Minhyuk can _feel_ it against his skin, cocky smile and eyes darkening, his lips kissing their way close to Minhyuk’s ear, voice mellow and deep making him shiver.

 

“Then let’s take them all off.”

  


“Do you think Shrimp will run out? I left the door kinda open.”

 

Hyungwon shifts above Minhyuk, his elbow meeting his unfortunate ribcage.

 

“Maybe stay in one place? And don’t kill me? Who will help you save your running cat afterwards?”

 

And like she has been summoned, Shrimp just shows up in typical Shrimp fashion, walking in like a lady from the window that Minhyuk never really got to close, before she lands on Hyungwon’s naked ass, curling up in an orange mass and starting to purr.

 

“You’re right. She’s fat.”

 

Minhyuk laughs and looks at her, the cat opening her eyes just a tiny bit, looking at him calmly. Like everything is in place. Like Santa looks at his wife when he’s back from delivering every children’s present all around the globe, his work now done, sitting on his rocking chair all fat and satisfied.

 

“Yeah, she’s fat. She reminds me of someone.”

 

He gets reminded of Kihyun’s words. “ _She’s your Christmas gift,_ ” he said, “ _she will make it all right._ ” But Kihyun was wrong. Hyungwon was his gift, this tall, lanky and good-at-using-his-tongue gift. But Shrimp? Well...she’s now sitting on her own kind of rocking chair.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> u can always bless me with ur christmas-y presence @mashirakos on twt!!


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